


a long time coming

by outlaw_queened



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Once Upon a Time RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:38:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6255010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outlaw_queened/pseuds/outlaw_queened
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I said to my group chat "I have a billion ways I imagine Swan Queen happening and I could tell you every one" and they said "Tell us all of them" and then this happened. </p><p>Not shippy rpf- this is strictly about SQ and SWEN- but occasionally draws vaguely on the rumors surrounding the cast of late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a long time coming

There’s the story where the ratings are dropping. They’re dipping below 1.0 and they know that they’re running out of time. And one day, Adam looks at himself in the mirror and thinks about his legacy and what his show will mean when it’s sputtering to its death.

There’s a lot of tension on set this season because Lana and Jen still aren’t talking. But Sean is leaving at last and there are shy smiles, a wry murmur of “About time,” and Lana’s hand squeezing Jen’s in acquiescence. And maybe it’s possible. Maybe…

And Adam goes to the writers’ room and proposes one little change to the season finale script.

They’re out of hell. They’ve done their mourning. Scar and Mufasa have clawed their way out of the underworld and are circling each other on the other side of Storybrooke, unbeknownst to our usuals. And they’d planned in a long conversation and some quiet time for Captain Swan.

Instead, one of the writers suggests, the long conversation should stay. He outlines what he wants to do with it. Jane says tightly, “Do you really want to give in to the bullies?” Brigitte bobs her head so hard that it looks like it might come off as easily as one of her Funko dolls’ heads.

* * *

Look, SWEN goes into that finale because there are rumors that there might be a hug. There are always hug rumors.

Jen isn’t liveblogging– she’s somehow managed to schedule a ten-hour flight right at the beginning of the East Coast airing. Lana has been promoting this episode like it’s some kind of masterpiece instead of a Captain Swan showcase, and a very skeptical SWEN follows her.

And it _is_ a Captain Swan adventure. It’s Hook and Emma trying to get out of hell after the failed shared heart situation and after everyone else has escaped. A lot of TVs are shut off. A lot of people wait, wait, wait for the Swan Queen reunion.

Everyone is infuriated but it’s worth it for the moment Emma climbs out of the lake and buries herself in Regina’s arms.

“That’s it? That’s our bone?” one frustrated member of SWEN says.

“It’s _everything_ ,” someone retorts.

“It’s about a dude!”

The scene changes and it’s Captain Swan, _again_ , for fuck’s sake. And they’re running out of time in the episode, too. This can’t be the end, right?

Hook is talking about their future outside hell, and Emma is walking with her face tilted and the sun shining down on it, drinking it all in. “We can finally move into that house together,” Hook says. “I want to get you a proper ring.”

Emma pauses, tilting her head away from the sun. “I don’t think that’s…I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she says.

At home, someone grabs a pillow and wraps arms around it, eyes wide.

“I do love you,” Emma says, and her hands are in his and someone at home tweets, _No, I am not watching this become the next Ross and Rachel_. Emma laughs helplessly and says, “But the past few months have been so…so toxic. We’re toxic. I’ve had healthy relationships and I want us to have one and I…I can’t imagine it happening if we’re together.”

Hook watches her, his brooding stare unmoving, and Emma says, “I’m sorry, Killian,” and starts to walk away.

“I can’t believe they’re going to pull this Rumbelle on-again-off-again crap again,” someone grumbles amidst the cheering.

This is the end of the episode. It’s 8:58 and the teaser for next season hasn’t started and what the hell is going on. Hook grabs Emma’s arm, holding her still before she can break away. “Who is it?” he demands.

Emma turns. Stares at him. “What?”

“Who is it?” he repeats.

Twitter is screaming. Twitter is shaking and everywhere from “oh god oh god oh god” to “this can’t be real” to “if they’re trying to write Emma/Hades instead, I will _kill–_ “

And Emma smiles, wistful and with so much love unmistakable on her face. “You know who it is,” she says, and breaks away from him to turn back toward the town. Hook watches in silence.

8:59. The door at Mifflin opens and Regina is standing behind it, eyebrow quirked and Henry behind her. “Emma,” she says.

Emma digs her fingers into her jeans and smiles, smiles, smiles. “Can I take you up on shots this time?” she says, and Regina steps aside and lets her in.

Credits roll! There is nothing coherent on a SWEN timeline. And there are CSers laughing it off, of course. “It’s not about Regina,” they insist. “It was her choosing Henry first! Like she always will!”

Of course, plenty of CSers are outraged at her behavior. “He went to hell and back for her and she calls him toxic? You know what? Killian deserves better than her.”

Lana retweets a whole lot of SWEN reactions. She does interviews talking about Regina looking forward. OQers try to trend “Let Regina Mourn” and fail miserably. CSers say, “this season was a mess anyway” and “figures Regina would take over Emma’s arc, pfft.”

Jen gets off her plane and doesn’t tweet for a week. When she does, it’s strictly about her real life. She gets too many angry tweets and finally shoots back, “I am on vacation! I act what is written for Emma and I will continue to do just that.”

Lana replies. It's the first time Lana has replied to a Jen Tweet in a year, maybe more. But she quote-tweets "damn straight!” with a few emoji and Jen favorites the tweet and god, what is happening.

"I can't believe there are still people buying into that queerbaiting and believing there's going to be any follow through," says one jaded femslash fan, frowning down at uppity SWEN. CSers say "Without us, the show is going to tank!!" except then Colin is doing interviews about some big centric he's having next season and a new love interest and the fandom is divided. Adam is vague and gives answers to no one.

He does tell one fan his favorite turtle, the night after the show airs.

There are so many interviews, so much buzz, and no one can get an answer out of A&E. "There has been a lot of speculation that Emma was talking about Regina in that final scene," Bustle says. Eddy says, "Yes." Adam says, "Well, the fans do speculate."

There are Twitter meltdowns literally every five minutes, back and forth and excited and frantic and afraid. Everyone keeps a percent on their Twitter blurb, a secret code of hope that passes from fan to fan to fan without a word.

* * *

And then, the cons. Jmo does one, Lana does four.

Sean is at two of hers and Colin is at one.

She doesn't do a panel with Sean at one of them, and it's actually pretty straightforward. She speaks highly of all her relationships and presses a finger to her mouth when a fan asks about SQ.

The panel with Sean, though, is when it gets dicey. "Would you say that Regina is without true love now forever?" one girl asks.

Lana smiles at Sean, lips pursed, and says, "Well, soulmate doesn't mean true love. I think Regina might have had the potential for it with Robin, but that kind of thing is earned. Sometimes with years and years of work.” She winks at the audience.

Sean glowers. Lana answers a dozen questions about Emma. "There's definitely love between them," she says to cheering. "They're family," she says to more uncertain cheering. "We're going to explore the emotions that connect them in the coming season," and there's cheering again.

"What do you think happened after those shots in the finale?" someone asks, and she says pertly, "Strip poker."

It's a delight. Jen's con is more muted, and she compliments Captain Swan over and over again but something else begins to come through in her discussion. She's...more animated, somehow, for the first time in years. (No one understands Jen.) CSers trend Jen Is The Captain Of Our Ship. Jen talks about Regina and Emma, though, and for the first time in years. "There's a connection there," she concedes. SWEN immediately trend in joyous celebration of her.

The final con before SDCC is when things get messy. Lana and Colin are sharing this con, and tensions are heightened. There are several homophobic slurs thrown around, a fistfight on the autograph floor, and eventually, SWEN is traveling in packs, SQ sweaters their uniform.

Lana hugs a lot of people. Colin looks vaguely sick about all of it. Onstage, they jokingly put a blonde wig on Meghan's head and fight over Emma with some glee. On Twitter, the fandom is tearing each other apart. In private, Lana makes a phone call she'd never planned on making and chooses to forgive.

And then, SDCC.

Jen and Lana are walking together when they enter the con, both of them with (the right) coffee and thick as thieves. Adam is relieved, probably. Jen and Lana sit on either side of Jared at the panel and when Lana talks about SQ, Jen actually grins, eager in whatever reconciliation they’d gone through. (SWEN accidentally trends the word “doghouse.” It’s pretty embarrassing.)

Eddy says, exasperated, "We don't announce our plot in advance! Why do you think we'd do it this time?"

There are questions about Captain Swan maybe rekindling what they'd had. Jen says, "Hook will always be an important part of Emma's life," to cheers. "But," she says hesitantly. "Isn't it unique these days to have a man and woman who can be just friends? Let's celebrate that."

And her party line is shifting, bit by bit. "Sellout," a CSer says, disgusted. "Can't believe she'd throw us under the bus for the next new thing."

During the interviews at SDCC, Jen is tucked in beside Lana and it's just like last year, but with a constant promise of something more beneath it. Of something that’s _SWEN’s_ , before anything else.

* * *

Filming begins.

Filming begins, and for a show that claims to have broken up CS, they're filming a hell of a lot. The set reporters gleefully announce every Colin and Jen scene, every interaction photographed, and it takes eagle-eyed SWEN to point out Lana in the background of the photos.

SWEN deflates a bit, but the occasional sightings of Lana and Jen doing scenes is something, right? They're playing the long game here. "They didn't end the season on that cliffhanger for nothing," someone reminds everyone. "We're being queerbaited," someone else retorts. What a _mess_.

And then: the unforgivable.

There's a stranger on set for episode five, a fairytale character that everyone speculates on, and no one knows very much about him. Colin and Lana are filming scenes together and a large portion of CS fandom has reluctantly shifted to Hooked Queen.

And Jen is filming with the stranger.

On the third day of filming, a set reporter snaps a photo of Emma kissing the stranger and fandom implodes. Adam fields furious tweets. Lana tweets thank yous for gifts all evening. Even Jen posts a TBT 4b with her and Colin and Lana.

It's not enough. For the first time ever, CSers and SWEN are united in fury.

And still, filming grinds on.

SWEN is back to talking about boycotting the show and then Lana and Jen do an interview together, both complimentary of SQ and hinting at more coming for the relationship. Reluctantly, SWEN gives it a try.

The premiere is so, so shippy. Regina and Emma are working together and there's more touching now, more significant glances and a romcom zoom that lasts longer than the other two put together. "If this is queerbaiting, I'll take it," someone says defiantly.

The next episode promises to be a Henry-centric heavy on Team Moms, and fandom trudges into another pit of hope and fear. "We'll boycott the fifth," everyone decides. Someone points out that the past fifth episodes were good for SWEN. Someone else points out that 3.05 launched Captain Swan.

Ratings are steady this year so far. They'd started a bit higher and kept it, even when they falter after a David episode (he goes on an adventure with the stranger and they bro it up in vaguely homoerotic ways! Jane writes that episode) but shift back up after the fourth.

And the boycott movement falters, too, when the promotion for 6.05 is...skewed toward SQ? "It's a trap," sighs a former fan. "They never learn."

But the promo shows flashes of Hook, flashes of Regina and Emma, and a moment where Regina's hand is on Emma's arm as Emma turns. The voiceover promises an ill-fated romance and everyone is angry but…

They don't know.

"This is an episode I'm sure all fans will enjoy!" Adam tweets.

"Do you think you can show up after six years and demand that we trust you?" someone replies disbelievingly.

Adam tweets a rainbow.

* * *

And god, it really is about Emma and the stranger dude. He asks her out, she says yes, they have a perfectly nice date until they bump into Hook, who is livid.

"This isn't your business. I broke up with you, remember?” They argue back and forth, heated and more and more annoyed with every passing moment. Emma defiantly kisses the stranger. Hook stomps off.

He goes to Regina and the Hooked Queen fandom swells again, waiting with bated breath for their time in the sun. Hook rages and Regina is snarky and unimpressed and SWEN is unimpressed with the episode itself.

Hook and Regina decide to investigate this stranger and discover soon enough that he's pretty shady. "You're going to have to talk to Emma about this," Regina warns Hook.

Hook scowls and admits, an eyebrow twitching, "I think this one is on you."

And finally, finally, they've been waiting all this damned episode for Emma and Regina to interact. Regina stalks into Emma's apartment and unleashes a wave of truths that Emma doesn't take well. "So now you're besties with Hook?"

"We are when it comes to you!" Regina says, frustrated. "And I don't know why you need to be...why you're jumping into a relationship with someone new so soon after your breakup, but I wish you'd just talk about it to someone who-"

 _Another episode that won't pass the Bechdel Test_ , someone grumbles. _They'll pair Emma up with an absolute stranger before they'll let SQ interact_ , someone else rants.

And onscreen, Emma crosses the space between them and kisses Regina mid-sentence.

For a moment, Twitter is silent.

Then it EXPLODES.

There are shouts and disbelief and someone had the presence of mind to catch a screencap that travels around before OnceABC even manages to tweet a Vine of the moment. Emma onscreen kisses Regina and Regina kisses her back, buries hands in Emma's hair and leans in and it's...oh god, it's real.

The fandom is shouting and then they fall silent, all at once, as Regina pulls away. "I just lost someone," she whispers, and Lana's eyes are so expressive, uncertain and wanting and full of love. "I can't..."

"I know," Emma says, twisting her hands and looking down. "I've been trying not to...I didn't want to ruin _us_." She gestures at Regina and Regina's eyes are heavy. "And my date is a nice guy and I like him and....I just don't want to be alone anymore, is that a crime?"

And Regina presses her more until Emma is on the verge of a breakdown, shivering as she sobs out what she thinks about when she's alone, about everything that had gone on as Dark Swan and in hell and the toll it had taken on her. And Regina breathes her name and wraps her in her arms and Emma holds on tightly to her.

Commercial break. Everyone is talking about the kiss, the breakdown, Emma and Regina. Swan Queen is trending with 37k tweets and counting. Jane tweets, "And finally, a long time coming," and accepts congratulations and praise from the fans. Twitter is both more alive and more still than it's ever been, and there are just as many people staring blankly at an ad for Honda as though it's a part of the show, stunned into inactivity.

A girl comes out to her family. A crowd of CSers say "better Regina than _that new guy_ " and jump ship. A crowd of antis rant and rage. "If this is it, it's still queerbaiting," says a huffy ex-fan from a canon femslash fandom.

The commercial break ends. Stranger winds up being a mole for the bad guys and Emma and Regina and Hook fight him off together. After, Emma gives Hook a smile, the two of them okay again. And then it's just Regina and Emma in the station after the fight.

Emma busies herself with paperwork, talking almost desperately about it as Regina finds the corkboard suddenly fascinating. "And how do I even write this one down?" Emma babbles, folding and unfolding a page a dozen times. "At least he wasn't a flying monkey? Or the Dark One? Or Maleficent's daughter?" She sucks in a breath.

("….Did they just make runaway swan canon?" someone wonders. It's beginning to feel like anything is possible tonight.)

"Emma..." Regina murmurs, and Emma stills, watches her with nervous energy. "I just lost someone," she repeats. Emma waits. "I don't want to lose you," Regina whispers, and Emma's eyes gleam with hope.

"You won't lose me," Emma says immediately. "We don't...it doesn't have to matter how I feel. I just want us to be friends."

SWEN is on tenterhooks.

Regina says, "We've never just been friends," and kisses her gently on the cheek as she leaves the room.

There's some bland plot-related scene after that that no one watches, and a promo for a Belle episode that's also ignored. Fandom is quiet, disbelieving, clamoring for more. After-episode interviews come out and they’re a _revelation,_ each thoughtful nugget a thousand times more than anything they’ve had before. Each promise is a promise of more, of a story that isn’t over yet, of a story that’ll span the rest of the show.

And that night, SWEN _believes_.


End file.
